ROME (Reuters) – Italian industrial output was slightly softer than expected in August, rising 0.3 percent after a steep 1.0 percent drop in July but leaving prospects looking weak for the third quarter, data showed on Friday.

The median forecast of a Reuters’ poll of 18 analysts had projected a monthly gain of 0.5 percent in August.

MILAN (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande defended his push for an easing of EU budget restrictions on Wednesday, potentially deepening divisions with Germany, which is pressing Paris to move faster on reforms, but winning support from Italy.

Speaking before a meeting of EU leaders on jobs in Milan, Hollande said the euro zone’s faltering economy would continue to slow unless tight budget rules were eased.

ROME (Reuters) – Italian politicians from right and left fuelled controversy following Sunday’s fiery Serie A encounter between Juventus and AS Roma, with lower house deputies tabling questions in parliament and even complaining to the stock market regulator.

Hosts Juventus won the top-of-the-table clash 3-2 but all three goals by the reigning champions, including two penalties for infringements on the edge of the box, were fiercely contested by the visitors.

ROME, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Italian politicians from right and left fuelled controversy following Sunday’s fiery Serie A encounter between Juventus and AS Roma, with lower house deputies tabling questions in parliament and even complaining to the stock market regulator.

Hosts Juventus won the top-of-the-table clash 3-2 but all three goals by the reigning champions, including two penalties for infringements on the edge of the box, were fiercely contested by the visitors.

NAPLES Italy (Reuters) – The European Central Bank laid out plans on Thursday to buy rebundled packets of debt within weeks to shore up the flagging euro zone economy and its president said the bank would do more if needed.

It was, nonetheless, one of the last arrows in the ECB’s quiver before the broad buying of assets known as quantitative easing.

NAPLES Italy (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will buy bundles of loans and other forms of secured debt from mid-month in an attempt to kick start a languishing euro zone economy, despite misgivings in Germany and elsewhere.

After cutting interest rates last month to what it said was “the lower bound”, the ECB left its main refinancing rate at 0.05 percent on Thursday.

NAPLES Italy (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will present details on Thursday of a new asset-buying plan with which it hopes to revive the flagging euro zone economy and see off the specter of deflation.

The ECB plans to buy asset-backed securities (ABS) – packages of reparcelled loans – with a view to spurring the market for such credit and supporting lending to the small- and mid-sized firms that form the backbone of the euro zone economy.

ROME, Sept 26 (Reuters) – Recent disruptions to economic
data releases by Italy’s official statistics bureau ISTAT are
the latest symptom of tough budget constraints of Matteo Renzi’s
government and the urgent need for reform of the labour market.

ISTAT workers occupied the press room of the institute three
times this week, preventing the normal briefings and causing
delays to the publication of data including gross domestic
product, retail sales and business confidence.

ROME, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Employment agency Adecco’s
profitability target for next year requires a pick-up
in European economic growth, the company said after reporting
disappointing trading in key markets.

Companies such as Adecco and Dutch rival Randstad
are viewed as barometers of economic health, given that
businesses tend to hire temporary workers at the start of a
recovery before it gathers sufficient momentum to prompt them to
take on more full-time staff.

ROME, Sept 18 (Reuters) – Italy’s economy will shrink in
2014 for a third year running, while the public debt will
continue to rise, the International Monetary Fund said on
Thursday, calling on Matteo Renzi’s government to follow through
on promised reforms.

Gross domestic product will fall this year by 0.1 percent
following declines of 1.9 percent in 2013 and 2.4 percent in
2012, the IMF said, cutting its previous forecast for growth of
0.3 percent, made at the end of July.